Sally Smith at Computershare event

Tech sector needs more women in leadership roles

Women are under-represented in leadership roles…especially in the tech sector

We know that women are underrepresented in computing courses at schools, colleges and universities, so it’s no surprise they are underrepresented in tech sector leadership roles.

In fact, Tech Nation revealed that 77% of tech director roles are filled by men.

For those women that do decide on a well-paid career in tech, 50% leave before they are 35, so many don’t progress to leadership roles. Of course, this is a problem: diversity in decision-making is better and engineered products are more inclusive, plus women can miss out on high pay and status.

Why the drop out? Researchers found sexism to be the principal reason for leaving the sector. They say women encountered a hostile and unwelcoming climate. Research has also found that women either move away from technical work or adapt by becoming one of the boys to fit in with  a masculine (bro) culture.

Our own research, however, found women in IT leadership positions had found work that chimed with their personal values. For example, they found satisfaction in helping end users. These are great jobs, great careers. So how do we prevent women leaving the sector?

Things that work

  • inclusive and friendly job adverts,
  • family friendly policies at work,
  • inclusive work environments,
  • mentors and role models.

If you are getting started in tech, don’t be deterred by job adverts, look for mentoring programmes, start social/ informal events at work (it doesn’t all have to be about beer and pizza).

If you are already a leader in tech, think about what you might be able to influence – and offer to mentor.

17 women in tech

Case studies of women working in tech

We asked women working in tech and digital, including apprentices, about their journeys into tech, what they do, and what they like about it. Here are our first 17 profiles.

The profiles were collected in 2021 and 2022 – we know that many of these women have moved forwards in their career since then, with graduations and promotions. Congratulations.

Ada Scot Festival 2022

Ada Scotland Festival: our pick of the events for you

ada.scot 12 to 28th  October 2022

The third Ada Scotland Festival kicks off next week and runs till 28th  October 2022, celebrating women in tech.

The festival includes events for women and girls at all stages of their career. We’ve picked out the best events for students and women starting or developing their tech career and those interested in building new tech knowledge and skills.

What to expect:

  • practical advice on building your online profile
  • insights from women who have successfully navigated the tech industry
  • tech talks
  • opportunities to connect with communities who can support you through your next steps in your career

Please sign up, share with colleagues and friends. Everything is free to take part. For a full events and activities listing please visit https://ada.scot/

Follow us for updates on twitter @adascot 

Events for students and career starters

Continue reading →

Participant-Centred Planning

Running Effective Gender Balance Activities

We’re running a free, short workshop, within the Ada Scotland Festival, to share our Participant-Centred Planning Framework for running effective inclusion activities.

Wednesday 19th October, 3-4pm, online.

The workshop is sponsored by SICSA Scotland. The framework research was funded by Skills Development Scotland.

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We’ve been working on gender balance projects and also investigating ways to improve their efficacy and we’d like to share this with you and provide an opportunity for you to share what you’ve been doing. Participants with no experience are also welcome.

In this online workshop, we’ll introduce you to our Participant-Centred Planning Framework, through the projects we’ve used it in and through breakout sessions in which you start to apply to your own (future or present) projects. It’s easy. You’ll like it. Continue reading →

Making Work Work for You

Making Work Work for You

Free online workshop from Equate Scotland and Women into Tech as part of Ada Scotland Festival 2022.

Wednesday 19th October, 12:30 to 13:30, online.

This workshop is for women studying towards or thinking about a career in tech and/or wanting to move into an inclusive work environment.

Looking at both the opportunities and challenges for women in the tech industry, we will explore ways to build more inclusive workplaces and why this is particularly relevant and important in the tech industry. We will try to envision what our ideal organisation look like and provide you with tools and tips to build on this vision. This workshop is also an opportunity to meet with like-minded women, and find ways to navigate change in a constantly evolving workplace.

This workshop will support you to:

  • Understand the barriers women may face when studying or working in tech
  • Understand the importance of creating more diverse and inclusive workplaces
  • Recognise non-inclusive environments or situations at work
  • Envision how you want the future of work to look like
  • Identify ways to enhance change and create a more inclusive tech sector

Continue reading →

Sarah Cleland

“Identify your skills early and build them up, use them to support the skills you have that need more work.”

photo of Sarah ClelandHow did you find your way into tech?

I took my first computing course in high school and enjoyed every moment of it. We unfortunately didn’t have a teacher to take the course further, so it was set aside. After leaving high school I tried joining the RAF to become a pilot, but my spatial awareness was nowhere near good enough to fly. I was also only 18 at the time and definitely notready for that sort of life.

At this point I was at a bit of a loss with what to do with myself and a local college sent out prospectuses to encourage people to attend. I flipped through and saw they offered computing, so I applied. It was a subject I had previously enjoyed and felt I could do well in. I remembered it being challenging, interesting and a subject I could take in my stride. I got the grades I needed from college and made it into university. Since then, my interest and passion has grown, and I know for sure this is exactly what I’m meant to be doing.

Tell us a little about your course

My degree is Computing Science. It is very varied which means there is always engaging material. I’ve covered a range of topics from games development, mobile app development, databases, networks, and programming. We’ve had the opportunity to try different languages such as Java, Python, Kotlin, and C. In the early years you also get the chance to do modules not related to your degree, so I chose criminal law and accounting. It’s great to be able to develop yourself in your own unique way and build skills you wouldn’t necessarily think you would.

The material is a good mix of code-based assessment and written assessment, giving practice for the dissertation year. The written ones are usually quite open –ended, giving a chance to do additional research and apply it to the context of the code project.

There are lots of opportunities for women on the degree, such as encouragement to participate in the Lovelace Colloquium, seminars and other events designed specifically for women. It’s been so encouraging finding and getting to know other women in STEM through these events and not feeling like you’re one of very few!

What advice would you offer?

My advice is to use your strengths to your advantage. Personally, I’m not the best at maths but I have plenty of patience to do loads of examples to gain the understanding I require. The skills you currently have are always transferable, even if it’s not obvious at first. Identify your skills early and build them up, use them to support the skills you have that need more work. Don’t let anything or anyone tell you that you can’t do it and you don’t belong in tech. I’ve struggled the last couple years with self-doubt from Imposter Syndrome and only recently have I got it under control. I think it affects all of us in tech to a certain degree, but you cannot let it affect what you’re doing. Take it in your stride and use it to motivate and encourage you, don’t let it take control and sink your passion.

What interests you about tech?

My dissertation project has been based on the Travelling Salesperson Problem and the Knapsack Problem, which I’ve developed a real interest in. I’ve been developing the project with a haulage company, so it’s been exciting to develop a real, tangible project for an actual client. It’s been very interesting researching the problems and exploring how these problems don’t just apply to routing and loading in a haulage sense, but the TSP applied to things like DNA mapping, aiming telescopes at the stars and scheduling jobs. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of using everything I’ve learned the last 3 and a half years and combining it into a project that is my own. It’s been important to manage my own time and balance the rest of the modules that need to be completed too, while maintaining my own high standards of work.

Erin Brisco

”…what I love about tech is the breadth of topics it covers and especially how it interacts with and drives our day-to-day lives”

photo of Erin BriscoHow did you find your way into tech?

Career-wise, I was always in retail and admin jobs. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, and I never saw myself as career-oriented. I had studied a degree in Biology straight out of high school, but I wasn’t thinking about long term goals or feeling very driven.

When I was made redundant in 2019, I came across a vacancy for an entry-level database assistant role. The job description piqued my interested and I realised that I had a lot of relevant experience. I’ve always been drawn to natural sciences and quick to pick up new systems, but I had never taken any computing classes and knew nothing about coding.

Getting into any kind of tech role or retraining hadn’t occurred to me as an option. I was lucky enough to get the job and it really sparked something in me!

Tell us a little about your course

I’m in the second year of my Graduate Apprenticeship in Data Science. It’s been quite a whirlwind so far, learning so much while juggling work, study, and home life.

The idea of studying a degree was daunting at first as I was unsure whether it was the right direction for me. I was worried I would struggle with the topics and would make a terrible student! I knew it would be hard work, but it’s been incredibly rewarding so far. Being able to see the real-life applications of what I’m learning keeps me engaged and gives me direction.

The course has helped me gain confidence in my own abilities and my newfound career path, and I recently took on a promoted role at work. I’m looking forward to learning as much as possible in the next two years, and I’m already excited to graduate and explore the world of opportunities out there.

What advice would you offer?

Just go for it! There are so many options out there for getting started, and many different courses to take. It’s a great time to get involved in the sector as things are constantly changing. There are professions now that didn’t even exist five years ago! I’d also say online resources like short courses are especially valuable for building on learning, no matter your confidence and skill level.

What interests you about tech?

Part of what I love about tech is the breadth of topics it covers and especially how it interacts with and drives our day-to-day lives. An area that I’ve enjoyed learning about through my classes is the intersection of technology and society. I’m interested in the growth of AI voice assistants in homes, the use of facial recognition tech, and similar developments. It’s interesting to see the influence technology has on individuals and society as a whole, and the implicit biases and unintended uses (both positive and negative!) that come about. I think it’s really important to be aware of the ethical responsibilities programmers have.

Celia Igreja

“If you are curious and you are open to continually challenge your current knowledge, a role in technology is for you.”

photo of Celia IgrejaTell us a little about your work

I work for Forestry and Land Scotland as a Geographical Information Systems Development Manager. My role involves identifying the best technology to meet the requirements of the business processes, to decide how we collect and manage our data.

What I love about my job is that I am constantly learning and developing new skills. We have to work with a number of different  applications, which are constantly changing and upgrading. Being on top of the changes helps me identify how the technology can best benefit the business needs.

On the other hand, I need to have a good insight of the business and its processes in order to marry the best tool to the process. This requires working with a wide range of topics and this makes the job varied and exciting, as every day is different. I enjoy working with other people and help them finding the best solutions for their needs/problems.

How did you find your way into tech?

During my graduate studies I developed a particular interest in GIS technology and its applications to environmental science. What I find fascinating about working in GIS technology is how it can help day-to-day processes/workflows as well as answering wider questions of any discipline.

What interests you about it?

The most fascinating thing is how, in one undertaking, you can tackle inefficiencies (automating processes), gather large amounts of data and analyse/prepare different outcomes that help shape people’s views and perceptions that aid more informed decision-making.

What advice would you offer?

If you are curious, enjoy working with other people to help them find technical solutions for their needs / problems, and you are open to continually challenge your current knowledge, a role in technology is for you.

Monica Richardson

”…it helps to be a creative-minded person – you’re building things that have never been built before….. ”

photo of Monica RichardsonHow did you find your way into tech?

I’m a Delivery Team Lead with a company called Forrit. Previously I was a graduate apprentice web developer. What you do as a developer depends greatly on the company that you work for and the type of development that you specialise in. In my role at Forrit at the moment, I build websites. I think if I had known, when I was younger, what being a developer was, what it involved on a day-to-day basis, I would have known a lot sooner that that’s what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until I was about 15 years’ old, and I did a week of work experience at a web development company, I got to meet developers and talk to them about what they were working on. That’s when I realised, this is very cool. This is something I’m interested in.

Before that I think the only thing, I knew about being a developer was something that my friend at school had told me. He said that you needed to be really, really good at maths. I was not great. So that didn’t fill me with confidence. Since then, I’ve learned that some of the problem-solving skills that you learn in maths can be helpful as a developer, but it’s certainly not a requirement and in fact, a lot of the developers I know say themselves that they are actually not great of maths. When I was in school, my favourite subjects included French, art and music; and you might think that they have nothing to do with tech. But I think there are lots of transferable skills. You’d be surprised how similar learning human language is to learning a computer programming language. And I think it helps to be creative minded when you’re building things that sometimes have never been built before it.

What does your role involve?

One of the common misconceptions about developers is that we spend all our time in front of computers, and we don’t speak to anybody ever. I know what we do is write code but actually, I would say on a daily basis it’s more like 50/50: you spend half of your time writing code and half of your time working with people, for example, figuring out what people want a piece of software or web site or an application to do. And finding how you’re going to work together to achieve it so there’s more to it than just writing code.

There’s a lot of working with people as well. Obviously now, because of the pandemic everyone is working from home. So, at the moment I get to work at home every day, but in the office, it’s just generally a pretty laid-back fun place to be. And I get to work with some really fun forward-thinking teams of people.

Some of the highlights of my last 4 years have included a trip I got to go on last January to Microsoft headquarters in Seattle, America, which was incredible. A dream come true. Last year, I also got the opportunity to go down to Westminster to the houses of parliament to talk to about the importance of apprenticeships like mine.

What advice would you offer?

There is more than one path to your dream job. You have to focus on how you learn best and pick the path that works best for you. I’ve worked with so many people that have come from a variety of backgrounds, there’s no one right path into development. If you’re a creative minded person, if you enjoy problem solving and the sound of being part of the construction of technology that literally changes the world excites you then I strongly recommend a career in tech.

What did you enjoy about your course?

When I finished high school, I did go to university, but I realised after a year that it wasn’t for me. I dropped out and got the opportunity to become a graduate apprentice web developer at Forrit. Everyone has different ways that they learn best, but for me, this was the perfect opportunity. It meant that I could learn 4 days a week on the job doing things practically, surrounded by experienced professionals that could help me in my learning, but it also meant that one day a week I could attend classes at university and apply that learning into the work I was doing every day.

Hannah Jack

“I think the beauty of Data Science is there is no limit on what you can do, and you can explore any interest using Data Science.”

photo of Hannah JackHow did you find your way into tech?

My journey in becoming interested in tech is not one I expected. I currently work as a Management Information and Workflow Analyst within the financial services, a sector I have worked in for almost 9 years. I started off at the age of 19 as a Customer Service Agent. To allow me to be as efficient as possible, I gradually taught myself Excel at an advanced level to allow me to build workbooks, so I could do my job easier and quicker. This has been vital in my career progression and really helped me stand out in the crowd.

I have also always been very inquisitive when it comes to understanding how things work, so straight away I started looking into how different sources of information spoke to different applications. This became a bit of a hobby for me. In my current employment, I was involved in integrating an API to support the sourcing and assessing of customer information and the exposure to this ignited more need to understand how it all worked.

I began looking into courses I could do in my spare time starting with some programming languages. This never felt like work to me and was, and still is, something I really enjoy. I thought this would always just be something I did in my spare time to enhance my skills for work but to my delight, through Skills Development Scotland, I have been able to study at degree level whilst integrating this into my current job.

Tell us a little about your course

I am doing a Data Science course at Stirling University. This involves me working four days a week and having one day of online university. The course so far has already taught me so much, including things I never expected to be thinking about during a Data Science course. When completing an assignment covering Social and Professional Issues there were areas of accessibility I had never considered. I found this very thought provoking, to the point I have adjusted the presentations I deliver in my full-time job.

The programming side of the course is something I really enjoy. I am still at the stage where my code rarely works first time, but all the fun is understanding why this isn’t working and challenging yourself to keep going until it does. There is always help at hand and everyone involved is so passionate about Data Science that you always learn something new every conversation you have whilst feeling inspired.

What interests you about tech?

When I originally started my course all my interests and ambitions were in understanding APIs within the Fin Tech arena. I used to think about data and think about businesses and finance. In a short period of time I have heard about some amazing social studies, including studies around depression and around supporting the elderly to keep as much independence as possible, using data and programming. I find these studies inspirational and it makes me proud that the course I am studying could lead me to being involved in creating something that helps improve quality of life for people who need it and really make a difference.

What advice would you offer?

When I left high school, I went to university to study Chemical Engineering because I always did well in maths, physics, and chemistry. After my first year I dropped out as I didn’t feel as if the course suited me and didn’t enjoy what I was learning. I was never really into computers or coding, so if you were to tell 18-year-old me I would be working in the area I work now whilst studying Data Science, I probably would have laughed then had a moment of fear. If I knew what I know now, I would have got into Computing and Data Science as early as I possibly could have.

I think the beauty of Data Science is there is no limit on what you can do, and you can explore any interest using Data Science. The content and assignments really speak to my love of problem solving. The course itself is so well structured that you don’t have to be code savvy to be successful and the four years is about building your knowledge constantly in harmony so that you never stop using something you’ve learned in the different semesters.